Why a doula cares so much about your pelvic floor
Photo credit to Emily Croff- Finding fire Photography
What Is A Doula?
I never thought I’d be here- a doula, running my own company, teaming with other doulas and supporting them, knowing so much about the birth world. And yet here I am, and I wouldn’t change a thing in my journey to get me here. I didn’t know what a doula was until I watched the Netflix documentary The Business of Being Born, but like many people, when I saw what the possibilities were for natural birth and embracing the “right of passage” called birth, I was convinced that natural birth would be my path and a doula for myself would be the ticket to achieve these goals. I mostly wanted a doula because I knew I wanted my husband close and he needed direction from someone to know how to help me (so really a doula for him!). Now that I AM the doula, I can speak so much more to what a doula truly is. Doula is a Greek word for slave or servant. She is present for the birth or for the postpartum period in the birth journey to support, equip, serve, etc. She was the village in the beginning, but now it’s becoming more and more a trained vocation and life calling. My calling actually knocked on my door about a year after my first daughter was born. I was working in a boutique cloth diaper store and desperately wanted to remain in a place where I could continue supporting women and their families in the huge journey they undertake during the childbirth adventure. I wanted to be a postpartum doula (the gear, breastfeeding, and infant care really interested me), but knowing my heart, I knew I would want to support families from the beginning of their story. So when my family relocated to Grand Rapids, I eagerly pursued training as a birth doula, one month later I was trained as a postpartum doula, and then pursued certification in both for the next two years simultaneously.
What Does A Doula Do?
Doulas serve, of course! But logistically, we offer physical support, emotional support, informational support, and advocacy. Our place in the birth world is strictly non-medical, we make no decisions for the family we serve, and we do not speak for them. We can attend births that are in the home or hospital, medicated or unmedicated, vaginal, or c-section. I like to say, “you will walk away feeling heard, supported, protected, guided, and educated, regardless how your story unfolds”. Here are some other great evidence-based facts about having a doula attend your birth:
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31% increase in your chance to enjoy your experience
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25-39% decrease in the risk for a c-section
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8-15% increased chance in having a spontaneous onset of labor
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10% decrease in the use of pain medication
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Shorter labor by 41 minutes on average
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38% decrease in baby’s risk of a low APGAR score
Why Would A Doula Be So Interested In The Pelvic Floor?
Well in the birth doula training, I fell in love with birth support. I think what drew me in so quickly was that I finally was able to unveil the answers I had to my jaded birth experience with my first-born. To sum up the very long story, my baby was poorly positioned (OP) and either no one knew, or no one cared to inform me. So I experienced pure isolated trauma contraction after contraction. The pain was beyond anything I could imagine for a completely unsustainable time. Even with a doula (a retired postpartum nurse friend not actually trained as a doula). The answers I had from my training were this: babies need to be positioned optimally in the womb for an optimal birth. Backwards babies in general make for longer labors, more painful labors, and more assisted deliveries. I felt so justified in my experience. I quickly went on to learn more deeply about baby positioning in an elevated birth worker training called Spinning Babies. Gosh, I LOVE talking about baby positioning. I promised myself that no client of mine would ever experience the labor I had and at least not be informed of it. I have since been able to turn several babies out of less-than-optimal positions for the sake of a more sustainable labor while offering birth doula services.
Here’s where the pelvic floor enters the picture. Even with all these great new tools I had learned with Spinning Babies, I was still wrecked watching my clients tear deeply during the birth of their baby. I felt like I had less than ideal suggestions to help them navigate that pivotal moment a lot of people refer to as “the ring of fire”. Truly though, I got angry. Angry at the gap in the care I saw between the hospital and the home birth clients (who truly never tore). I wanted to begin to bridge the gap in the hospital, so I started talking with pelvic floor therapists. Fairly quickly in my pursuit in the pelvic floor and the pushing phase of birth, I found myself signed up for another elevated birth worker class called Body Ready Method. Taught by an exercise psychologist and doula, I was able to learn a whole new view of birth in its relevance to the body (but specifically 5 pillars of BRM: upper body, core, pelvis, pelvic floor, and alignment). For anyone who goes to PT in pregnancy, you KNOW these topics are discussed. The best part, I can take these principles into the labor and delivery room and continue the support of body function as it applies to pregnancy, birth, and even postpartum.
What Does That Actually Look Like?
Based on my journey with the different trainings I’ve taken, there are several tools I carry with me into my care with my clients. It’s more than the average doula. I feel like there is no possibility of interacting with any birth without incorporating what is now deeply ingrained into my understanding of birth and the body. We need to look at the baby as it relates to the bony pelvis (Spinning Babies) but even more, it is essential to prepare your body to carry a baby optimally in the first place (BRM). This will lead to a more sustainable pregnancy with less pain, a correctly positioned baby by default (if the body is in proper alignment, baby will also be in proper alignment), therefore the birth will most likely be quicker with less pain and less stalls due to a malposition in baby or a delay in the connective tissues yielding to allow a baby to pass through the body, there will be significantly less tearing or overall dysfunction in the pelvic floor because there was preparation for its big stretch, and therefore less postpartum recovery/pain because there was less trauma to the body during birth. I know, it’s crazy to think that these things are attainable to us and we don’t just have to hope or wish for them!
Final Things
At the end of the day, I wish this for all the readers who find themselves reading this blog: understand that everything is connected. Nothing in the body works in complete isolation when it comes to birth. Preparing for the big marathon is key (mind and body). Doing that will lead you through a much easier time in this big epicenter moment. And hey, to do that, see a pelvic floor therapist for proper training and exercises that suit your body. And hire the doula who will carry that same mindset into your birth room with you so you can not only have your baby born safely, but you come out protected (and in-tact) as well.
About Mandi
Mandi Owns Great Lakes Doulas agency in Grand Rapids Michigan and serves the greater West Michigan area with birth and postpartum services and body work for pregnancy. She cares deeply about your journey, your baby’s position, and your perineum… cause someone needs to! In her time apart from birth work, she is raising up her three kiddos and getting outside. Contact Mandi at www.greatlakesdoulas.com to add her or one of the amazing doulas on her team to YOUR birth team.
About Purple Mountain Physical Therapy
We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we specialize in providing pelvic health care to women during their pregnancy, postpartum recovery and beyond. We love to help women get strong again after giving birth so you can be feel like yourself again.
Peace,
Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT specializing in pelvic health, TMJ disorders, neck and back pain.
You may be interested in reading these other articles we’ve written about the treatments we offer:
Exercise in Pregnancy: A Physical Therapists Perspective
Balance exercises for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Tips to Fix Incontinence Naturally
Does Physical Therapy Help Endometriosis?
Vaginismus and Dyspareunia Treatment in Grand Rapids
5 Tips To Ease Pelvic Pain that Won’t Go Away!
Do I Have Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?
9 Tips That You Need Pelvic Floor Therapy
Tailbone pain and How Pelvic Floor PT Can Help You! Plus Some Self-Care Tips!
